Death Note: The Note of the Heir
by TheScribe6754
Summary: When a college student finds a notebook with the ability to kill anyone whose name is written on it, will she give in to the temptation of the Death Note? Or will her Shinigami be forced to kill her to escape the human world? Will Odette ever escape from her own past, or lose herself to it?...And will L find her before BB does? LXOC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own anything save for my OC/Words. **

**Note: I have never read the manga and am going solely off of the Anime, movies, and my own crazy fan-natic-session. Thank you for your consideration and ENJOY :D**

Chapter 1: The Death Note

On a particularly unusual day in usually-sunny California, a lone notebook fluttered down from the heavens to the earth, where it twisted and turned gracefully in the wind of the uncharacteristically gloomy, gray sky. The notebook continued to soar through the air as though guided by some mysterious hand, leading it to its final destination…

The wind howls as the notebook nearly lands in a preschool sandbox, only to be picked back up by the wind and, instead blows into a highway where it is carried by the violent currents of air from passing trucks and massive semi's.

Then finally, it begins its decent onto the resting head of a young college student with slightly frizzy hair, her brown eyes half-shut, head resting in her hands with a different notebook before her. It seems she had been studying in the square when she'd dozed off.

The fallen notebook, still shrouding her head, seemed to wake her from her daze as she lifted her head. It then slid forward off her crown and landed, front-faced, atop her own notebook, as though wanting to be picked up.

The girl blinked, rubbed her sore eyes (she wore contacts which were now dry from her snooze), and peered down at that which had woken her. She saw words etched in white colors against the black leather of the book. Her lips moved to read those words as the book shivered against the breeze in anticipation. The book called…

The Death Note.

* * *

"Death Note?" I mutter in confusion, staring at the notebook which had fallen so neatly on my already-messed-up hair. I look up at the sky stupidly and (as one could expect) see nothing out of the ordinary save for the odd weather…

I sniff and look around, expecting someone to come clamoring for their book. When everyone who had been observing me quickly look away, I shrug and sweep the "Death Note" off of my own notebook with a gloved hand.

I begin to yet again try to study, but the Death Note suddenly leaps onto my work, brought on, I assume, by a gust of wind. I pick the Death Note up and stubbornly tuck it under my water bottle a little ways away on the table.

I hunch over my notes and try to comprehend what I'm reading.

A violent gust of wind sends my water bottle flying onto my notebook and a second later, the world goes black as the Death Note slaps me in the face, obscuring my vision. I pry the thing off with a huff of embarrassment and frustration and shove it into my back pack just as a drop of rain stains my notes still on the table, bleeding ink from my assortment of pens across the title of said notes. This is a problem. I'm a bit of a perfectionist.

I groan in impatience and put that one away too as the rain comes even faster.

I hurry off to a Starbucks (My last class of the day isn't for another half-hour and I don't feel like going to my dorm just yet) though I don't order anything to drink and sit under the Ramada just outside the coffee shop.

Truth be told, I love this weather, as it is so uncommon and I live to be in it as long as I can.

A half an hour and five minutes later, I'm running to my class where I am scolded by my dick-head Professor (Who makes Snape from Harry Potter look like a Peach) about being impertinent and a failure in life and blah-da-blah…

Approximately two hours later, I'm trudging to my dorm with a splitting headache and a more than unfriendly disposition (the test did not go well).

When I arrive, I'm glad to see my dorm is rid of its usual infestation of overly-chipper flakes and their boyfriends and flump down on my bed with a loud moan. It's about five already. I go to work early for about two and a half hours, grab lunch, and then go to my first class (Psychology 102) and then to English 101 (Aka Potion's class). After that I go to my dorms, microwave my dinner, procrastinate on work, and reflect on my bad habits, swearing to "Do better next time."

And that's only on Wednesdays!

I open my bad with a sigh, not really hungry (yet) and tug on my planner, which appears to be hooked onto something,-

I give a huge tug and my planner tumbles out on the floor along with the Death Note.

I scowl at the think, as though it is the source of my angst.

" '_What a stupid title.'_ " I think, running my fingers over the words on the front, touching it with my bare hands since taking it. _" 'Who would put a title on a notebook anyway?' "_ And then I open it.

" '_What? Are these…Instructions?' "_ I wonder, peering on the inside cover at the inscription inside_. **" 'How to use it.' "**_I read._**" ' The human whose name is written in this notebook…shall die? ' "**_

I recoil slightly, frowning deeply as a sense of unease sets over me. I continue reading.

" '_**The note will note take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.' "**_

I pause, scanning over each rule with a sense of growing dread.

"_What _am I reading?" I whisper to myself…

But before I can fully wrap my mind around what I've just read, I hear voices coming down the hall to my dorm. I recognize them as my…Ugh…_Roommates._

I stash the notebook under my pillow, not wanting them to have an excuse to talk to me and busy myself with something, anything else.

They come bursting in (obnoxious ditz's they are) and Jobany spots me, climbing onto my bed with her shoes on, littering my sheets with bits of mud and shakes out her wet hair like a dog, spraying me and my book I just opened up.

"What's up, nerd? Not reading that again are you?" Jobany says as her friends ravage our refrigerator. I'm about to respond sarcastically when she plucks the book out of my hands and holds it over my head.

I reach for it, but she's a little over six feet tall with the body of an Olympic medalist (despite the fact that her only sport is chasing boys) and I can't quite reach. I'm only about 5' 4'' (Er, estimated that is) and I'm more of a weight lifter than anything. I used to be on the wrestling team but quit upon entering college.

I could tackle her…But I'd rather not have to deal with the hassle. Besides-

I'm out numbered.

A squat girl with a severe lack of eyebrows and an excess of self-esteem holds out a pudgy hand for the book and observes the cover with a snort. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? What's that? Some kind of kinky night club?" She laughs with the others. "What happens in the Chamber stays in the chamber! I bet you'd like that, huh, Sammy?"

"Phhf-wut?" Samantha asks, peering her head out of the bridge with a opened bag of chips, a few of which are struggling to escape from her glossy lips. Her eyes meet mine and she looks down, chewing, and comes over, swallowing painfully before giving a fake smile and saying, "Oh yeah! That's the second one right?"

"Yeah." I say shortly. Sammy you see, used to be one of my best friends. What happened between us? We changed. We both went to the same college sure…But our taste in friends changed drastically.

We are roommates, but she is no friend of mine.

We used to be fans of Harry Potter together. We used to read comic books together and she used to teach me self-defense moves from her class she used to take…that is, until her new friends decided that wasn't very girlish behavior.

We drew further apart as she became flakier and flakier, until, when I was counting on her the most, she sealed our fate as friends. That, however, is a long story and I don't want to think about it.

The girls are talking again.

"You know what?" Jobany says gleefully, stretching her long legs languidly across my bed. I take a seat at the computer table across the room, propping my head up on the desk as I try to tune her out with my ipod.

It works for a while and I lose myself to the melodies of my favorite movie soundtracks…

My hair wheels back suddenly, my earphones fly from my ears and my ipod clanks to the ground. My book thumps to the ground as strong arms lift me by the wiast out of my chair and begin to wrestle me into a hold.

I give an angry shout and easily get out of the hold, reversing it on my assailant, tucking my arms behind a pair of strong biceps and wrap a leg around a blue-jeaned one, forcing my opponent to be off-balanced.

"Hey, hey! Sorry man! Didn't mean to scare you! Sheesh!"

"Odi! Let go of 'im!" Jobany cries, jumping up worriedly.

"Yeah, Odi!" Dane says mockingly though I don't relax my grip on him before saying, "It's Odette. And I wasn't scared."

I let the punk go and he rubs his shoulders playfully.

"I can never get the jump on you can I?" Dane says with a smirk. I smirk back in spite of myself. "Nope."

Jobany recognizes when she's not the center of attention (I think she has Narcissistic Personality Disorder) and launches herself into Dane's arms.

"You really shouldn't do that! You could hurt her you know!" She says pouting and I roll my eyes, gathering my things off the ground, grumbling to myself as the door opens.

"Yeah, well—Stanley! My man!" Dane shouts, pulling away from Jobany's spider-like hands to clap Stan-the-Man's hand in a very manly handshake as he enters the dorm.

"Try to sneak up on Debt again, huh?" Stanley asks, grinning at me.

"As per usual." I say, genuinely happy to see him. Stanley is a relatively good looking young man…Alright who am I kidding, he's hot. He's built (an athlete of many sports), with a handsome face, light colored eyes, and dark brown skin.

He's a good guy, though I'm not crazy about the company he keeps. I think he's like me. He just kind of got stuck with his lot and doesn't really complain. He doesn't like his friends but he feels he needs to interact with _some_ people at least. Just like me.

He's also the only one I let call me by a nickname.

Stan wraps me in a warm, friendly hug.

"You alright? You look…" He starts but then two more boys enter our dorm, howling loudly as they do so.

Chaos ensues as the group erupts into some weird kind of hugging-convention and the smell of cologne sprayed one-too-many time's fills my senses. I retreat to the corner of the room with my chair, sulking in the corner with my leg crossed over the other, reading.

Again, I'm interrupted by a pair of bright green, slanted eyes peering at me over my book. "Hey, O."

"What do you want Salem? Or should I say, _Sailor_?" I ask with a mean sneer, referring to his new relationship with the dumbest, stupidest, most moronic girl on the face of the planet, whose head is so full of hot air it's a wonder she doesn't float away. Her name is Tailor. By way of making fun of them, people refer to them as Sailor by mixing their names. She thinks it's cute, he thinks it's offensive, I think it's hilarious.

I wonder why they're together at all. He despises her, but everyone else is enamored with the girl. I know she's the daughter of some rich guy Salem wants to impress but…C'mon! If you saw the pure look of misery on the guy's face you'd have to bite on your tongue so hard to keep from laughing you'd draw blood.

Salem narrows his eyes to closing, putting a hand on my book and knocking it to the ground for the second time at my feet, a tight smile plastered to his face. "Oops."

I rise from my chair, glaring dangerously at him.

"Pick it up." I order him. The room becomes quiet as we stare each other down. "Why should I, Odi?" Salem asks, running a hand through his straight blonde hair, reminding me strikingly of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter (Yes, I'm a Potterhead, deal with it) if he were yellow haired, blue eyed, Asian-looking with a Cajun accent…Weird, huh? "Not gonna fight me for it, are you?"

I hesitate, my blood boiling, thinking of something to say that doesn't involve a cuss word, since my new year's resolution was to stop cursing so much…But THIS GUY. You cannot fathom how much I hate this guy.

He's a cheater in every sense of the word. He's had life, looks, and girls handed to him on a silver platter all his life and he has no trouble rubbing it in. He's dated almost every girl in this room (save for yours truly) and he's top of the class, not through intellect, but connections.

He also happens to be the same ass-Er…I mean, Jerk who helped ruin the friendship between me and Samantha.

"C'mon, Bro! Be cool…" Stanley says with a hint of a smile, but a serious tone as he stoops to hand me my book. "Sure thing, _Bro_." Salem retorts mockingly.

"You know," Salem says suddenly, taking a lock of my hair in his think, white hands. "Tailor has a really nice conditioner you could use for this. Maybe you girls should go on a spa day or something, get yourself nice and fixed up for a change."

"Oooooooh! THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOOOO MUCH FUN!" Jobany squeals as the other girls, Sam included, agree in equally high pitched voices, gathering around to make plans. "We could take her to Maddy's Hair salon-"

"Oh, yeah and that Asian nail place too!"

"Then we could take her on a shopping spree-"

Another squeal makes me queasy just THINKING about an outing from hell with _them_ and I seethe as I glare daggers into Salem's cool eyes. "I hate you." I hiss. Salem's smirk deepens on the corner of his mouth.

"Then it's decided!" Jobany says loudly, calling the attention back to her as she drapes an arm around Dane and Stanley's shoulders. "We are going for a girl's make-over slash shopping spree slash movie night this Saturday! And you can't get out of this one this time Odi 'cause I know you're not busy and I know you don't have a date so, ha!"

"Terrific." I say, figuring I need some new clothes anyway, and there's also the fact that if I just nod my head and agree with them, the pain will end sooner and I can get on with my life. Besides, when the day arrives I'll just call in sick, or skip town for a while until they leave and I'll have the dorms to myself for a full day…

"Oh, and you guys are coming too for the movie part and dinner afterwards!" The eyebrow-less wonder (named Barbie…I'm not kidding. The girls call her Barb because they can't stand to connect her to the iconic doll so many women have tried so desperately to live up to) adds with a smile.

Salem gives a start, the coolness fades from his eyes. "I don't-" He begins but Stanley (wonderful, wonderful Stanley) throws an arm across his shoulder and gives Salem a shake, adding enthusiastically, "Yeah, you can even invite Tailor!"

It was priceless.

The look on Salem's face when Stanley said that went from sickened (as though he were being forced to sit on a cramped plane with a 300 pound walrus) to panicked and angry (like someone just threw a bucket of water down his back while he was wearing his best suit).

I feel myself smile gleefully, imprinting that image in my brain for safe-keeping, which quickly fades when Salem in turn puts his own arm around my shoulders, pressing my tightly against his side.

"Don't look too pleased Sherre," Salem says beside me as the other's join in the arm-locking chain we somehow had formed with our arms across each other's shoulders. I feel my arms stretch uncomfortably as I'm caught between Dane and Salem, both extremely tall boys compared to my sad little height. "You're still in this, too."

"Heh, that's what you think!" I mutter, eyeing my pillow where the Death Note lay just beneath its case.

A few minutes later, after nearly crawling away from the group on all fours, I manage to make it to the safe zone near my window, turning to watch the night sky. People are beginning to say their goodbyes and I hope they'll just leave me alone if I stand here and-

" '_Woah! Whatthehell?!' "_ I think and gasp aloud and peer out the window at the cloudy sky. "What's the matter?" Stan asks behind me, making me jump. "Nothing. Just a bird, or something. A really _big_ bird…" I trial off, turning around to embrace him.

"Thanks for that back there." I add sheepishly under my breath. Salem is still in the room, with his back turned to us. Stanley laughs, "He can be a prick. But he's not so bad when you get to know him."

"Yeah, well…Too bad I won't get the chance…"

"C'mon, I think it'd be good for you to get out." Stanley says with a cheerful grin. "You spend too much time inside. And I'll be there too for the movie and dinner. It could be fun." He adds, putting his hands in his pockets.

I blush.

"Yeah, well…" I say, trying to think of an excuse but…God that smile. "I guess-"

"Great! See you then, then?" He says, then laughs at himself as I walk him to the door. "Yeah. See you then. Bye."

I finally close the door, moving to sit on my bed, only to remember that Jobany's feet had soiled my sheets and begin to change them in a kind of happy stupor. I even manage to zone-out the other girls' chit-chatter about how much fun their going to have.

It isn't until I spot the Death Note under my pillow that I feel a sudden alarm and slip it under my shirt. No one seems to have noticed and I finish changing the sheets, replacing the notebook inside my pillowcase this time before changing to go to bed.

By this time, the other girls have gone back to their dorms and it's just me and Samantha and the eerie quiet. "This weekend should be fun, huh?" Samantha says, her voice more subdued than mere moments ago.

"Yep." I say shortly. "Fun."

I settle down for bed, turning my back to her with the covers pulled up. A couple seconds later, the light clicks off and the only sounds are the air conditioning and the sound of the wind against the window, sounding suspiciously like the flapping of wings from just outside...

* * *

**Be honest and let me know what you think! R&R soon! Thanks!**

**~THE SCRIBE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: STILL DON'T OWN DEATH NOTE…THANKS! ENJOY!**

Chapter 2: Enter Shinigami

The next few days were filled with dread and angst.

Every waking moment I was stressing out about something. Tests, people, Saturday…Not to mention the uneasy feeling that I was being watched.

Every time I felt a shiver run up my spine, I'd quickly look around only to see no one there except for a shadow or two, but that's just my imagination at work there. When Saturday did come, I was no more prepared for it than I had been three days before.

I'm now getting my nails done, after being dragged out of bed WAY earlier than I'd have liked and having my hair ravaged by some lady who I couldn't understand for the life of me. Not to mention the small-talk with the girls is **killing** me!

I have to admit, at first it was fine.

I even enjoyed talking about superficial things like my favorite bands, movie stars, etc…But as the same conversations dragged on and on and on,-I began to lose it.

They're talking about boys AGAIN and I'm sitting, gazing at the zit on the lady who's doing my nails in an odd stupor. I chance a glance at Sam. I really miss the times when we could really talk together. When we could be total geeks and actually hold legitimate conversations. Or at least feel free to act goofy with each other. Not this fake, giggly-whatever it is we're doing here.

We finally leave the nail salon but the movie's only an hour away (hence the reason we got up so early). "So, I guess we can't go shopping then." I say though I don't feel too bad about it.

"What? Are you crazy?" Tailor says in shock (did I mention she's here, too?). "No, we're still going shopping. You can't go with Stanny dressed like that!"

"Stanny?" I repeat flatly and she grabs my arm and drags me to the front seat with her. I feel uneasy with her behind the wheel. She really is a ditz. Blonde haired, curve-less, fake-tanned and everything. It almost makes me feel sorry for Salem.

Almost.

We arrive at the mall where we will meet the guys and head off to the top brand stores. I avoid buying anything until I'm forced to try on every kind of clothing I've been to self-conscious to take into the changing rooms. The way the store people look at you you'd think you were a slug trying to fit into a corsets or something.

"Here try this!" Tailor says, thrusting a low cut, black tank at me that I actually find kind of cute. "Oh, and these." She adds, handing me a pair of black low-rise jeans with a small metal chain hanging in the loop on the hip. "This'll look great on your body type." She says, referring to my busty pear-like appearance.

I don't object.

To be honest, these are the kind of clothes I already wear. I just don't make such a big deal about it. Actually, if you looked at my clothes, you'd say they can range from "girly" to "kind of punk" to "Casual".

But when I stepped out of the dressing rooms with the outfit on,-

God you'd think the hunchback of Notre Dame just turned into Marylin Manroe. They flipped out, I bought the freakin' outfit, and we headed down (arms reluctantly interlinked) to meet the guys at the movies.

When we meet the guys, I'm shocked to see their dressed up too.

In fact, Dane showed up in a flannel shirt with a white tee underneath and some nice jeans, the two other guys (Dane's friends) are dressed likewise, Salem is dressed in slacks and a suit-like jacket buttoned at the front, his hair combed back, and Stan is wearing a nice-fitting black sweater with black jeans and an equally nice smile on his face.

One of Dane's friends wolf-whistles at us, serving as our cue to start to mingle. I head straight for Stan, tugging at the hem of my shirt which refuses to cover my abdomen fully. "Hey," I say, waving awkwardly.

"Hey," Stanley says back, gesturing at me. "You look great."

"Thanks." I say, blushing deeply and a moment later, we all head into the theatres. Of course we saw some lame slasher movie about a serial killer lurking in the woods attacking young, horny teenagers in the woods (where else?) and Tailor shrieked no less than three times, throwing herself into Salem's shoulder as he yawned in boredom.

Several times I heard Stanley chuckle and we'd laugh at especially cheesy moments, leaning close to each other comfortably. I glanced over down the row a few times. The two guys who came with us were talking animatedly about the gruesome death scenes; Barbie sat looking incredibly bored, checking her phone for a text every now and again, while Dane and Jobany made out next to her.

Tailor apparently wanted to do the same but Salem was less-than motivated to do the same.

After the movie, we all sat together at the food court, chatting about the movie. Stan and I were busy talking about the silly plots of stupid slasher flicks when Salem suddenly had enough of Tailor's constant chatter and stood up, saying, "What do you say we get out of here?"

"Yeah, we can all go to our dorm!" Dane said with a wide smile and I froze mid sentence and immediately said, "We probably shouldn't-"

"I think that's a great idea!" Jobany caught on. "Let's go!"

"I'm game, if Salem's going." Tailor said huskily, batting her eye lashes. Salem gave a weary look but didn't argue. Before I knew it, we'd piled into two cars and were about to take off when Salem came darting inside our car with myself, Stanley (shotgun), one of the other guys who came along (our driver), and his buddy, forcing me into the middle.

"What-why aren't you with-"I begin but he cuts me off saying to the guy in the driver's seat, "Just drive!"

Once he's settled in, Salem claps a hand to his forehead with a groan. "Dude, why don't you just break up with her already?" One of the guys asks next to me.

"Seriously, it's obvious you don't like her." Stan says from the front seat.

"It's too late. If I'm the one to break up with her first, the big man'll never hire me!" Salem says sounding tired, referring to Tailor's rich father. "If she breaks up with me, though, I'm off the hook. She's just so…"

"Clingy?" I offer dully, casually rolling up the sleeves of Stan's jacket that he let me borrow, while keeping my eyes forward though I feel Salem's own snake-like eyes on me.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Hey, it's none of my business!" I say putting up my hands. "You always get you ask for, right? Well, now you've got her and you don't want her anymore. Kind of messed up. If you ask me, you've got what you've had coming to you for a while now! I'm just sitting back, and enjoying the show." I add, knitting my fingers behind my head and reclining back against the seat.

"Oh, spare me the lecture, princess! I don't need advice from you-"

"I'd beg to differ! You've been pinning after Tailor for weeks! Not because of her shinning personality but because of her influence and her looks. Serves you right to be stuck with her now." I say with a hint of a laugh in my voice.

"Yeah? Well-"

"Hey, C'mon stop!" Stan says, turning back to glare at us like we're a couple of naughty kids. "We're here. Let's just have a good time okay?"

"Yeah, sure."I mumble.

"Whatever." Salem grumbles.

"Good." Stan grins.

* * *

I hate to admit it but,-the rest of the night wasn't so bad. Sure I turned in early, but overall, it was a good time. Stan walked me back to my dorm despite my objections and even gave me a small kiss on the cheek.

After waving goodbye, smiling goofily to myself, I enter my dark dorm room and flip on the lights,-

Then a sound, a rustling sound that seems to have been haunting me these past few day, like the flapping of a birds wings reach my ears and I whip around, eyes wide, my heart pounding…

But nothing's there.

I inhale a bit, but remain uneasy, certain I hadn't imagined the sound.

I go to the window and draw the curtains closed, casting a wary glance at the pitch black sky. The air brings a chill and I rub my bare arms as goose bumps crawl over my skin_ " 'Should've kept Stan's jacket while I had the chance' "_ I think to myself, turning around-

I suddenly let out a blood curdling scream, backing up into the curtains and plastering myself back between my bed and dresser drawer, knocking over my lamp so that an eerie shadow is cast over a six foot tall phantom with yellow, silted eyes and an odd wasp-like appearance.

The creature let's out an odd monotonous yell and jerks back saying, much to my horror, "What, what?! No need to scream! Yeesh!"

I stare, dumb struck, another scream stuck in my throat as I try to process what's just happened. "What-you can…talk?" I whisper hoarsely and the creature shifts a bit closer. I recoil immediately.

"Yes, but please don't scream again, you'll get us in trouble." The monster cautions, turning its beehive-like head toward the door with a whine in its voice.

"What do you mean?! Who-Who are you?" I ask, wondering if it would be rude to ask "What are you?" The creature shifts again, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm Sidoh. I'm a Shinigami and that's my notebook." The creature says, his voice an odd, gravely, whiney tone, like talking annoyed him.

"Shini-shimi…What are you saying?! Wait…" I say, coming to a sudden realization. "The Death Note…That's _yours_?"

"Uh-huh," The Himminagi nods its odd dome-like head, and I scramble to reach inside my pillow case. "Here," I say quickly and toss the notebook at the hem of the creatures', Sidoh's, cloak. It looks down curiously as though unsure of what it is he's looking at. "Take it! I only found it-"

"Found it. Own it. There's no difference really." Sidoh replies and I wince. "Own it?" I repeat, my eyes widening as I tremble in the corner of my bed and the dresser. "I don't understand. If it was yours…why am** I** now the owner?"

Sidoh pauses, staring at me unblinkingly like he's considering something and then says impatiently, "Did you even _read _the rules? Everything's there…"

"Well of course I _read_ them!" I answer indignantly, almost hysterically. "I just didn't take them seriously…But now that I know they're real…No, that still doesn't explain why you "dropped" it." I say, using air quotes to emphasize my suspicions.

My guard hasn't dropped completely, but my fear of this creature has subsided if nothing else but because of Sidoh's non-threatening behavior. In any case, if it turns out that this isn't real and I'm having a seriously weird dream (or I'm just insane) then I'm in no immediate danger.

There's a knock at the door and a voice calls faintly, "Hey, are you okay in there?"

I hesitantly call back, my voice shaking, "Fine! I'm…fine. Thanks…"

The voice departs with an absent-minded "Alright…" and I look back to Sidoh curiously.

"Can other people see you?" I ask, getting to my feet at last, but not moving any closer.

"…Mmmm…No. Not unless they touch the notebook anyways." Sidoh replies and I frown. _" 'Would I want to risk testing that theory? Even if it was to prove I'm not crazy?' "_

"And this notebook is mine. Permanently, then?"

The shimihini hesitates, then says slowly, "…You could say that."

"What do you mean?" I ask suspicious at the creature's tone.

"Well…You _are_ the official owner of the notebook now…but only until you die."

"Until I die?!" I repeat numbly, imagining briefly a life of seeing this omen for the rest of my days in a sudden flash…

"Or until the notebook is destroyed but I'd prefer it if it wasn't-"

"Can't I…You know…Give it back?" I ask hopefully.

"I guess you could…But not to me."

"Why not?!"

"The whole reason I gave you the Death Note is for you to use it!" Sidoh argues, picking up the book with its bug-like appendages and opening it. "And by the looks of it, you haven't written a single name…Hm, probably better that you didn't though…"

"Why do you say _that_?"

"Oh, it's no big deal really. Just another rule I..Er..forgot to mention—"

"Well?" I prompt impatiently. "What is it?"

"You see, the human who uses the Death Note can't go to heaven or hell. Kind of an important rule, I know, but I ran out of space and-"

"Sidoh! That's kind of important, you know!" I chastise the Shimihami, using his name for the first time. "What if I _had_ tested out the Death Note? I'd be-" I shudder, sinking onto my bed at the sickening thought of what could have been.

"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Sidoh says, breaking me out of my moment of terror. "It's my first time in the human world in centuries, I forget how to do things sometimes. Sheesh you humans freak out over the simplest things…"

"Says the immortal God of Death…"I counter sarcastically.

"Oh, we're not immortal. We Shinigami _can_ die…We just don't know how."

I stare at Sidoh with a look of utter bewilderment and then shake my head, "You are a strange one, Sidoh."

"The same goes to you…Oh…Debt." Sidoh sounds out, peering at the space about my head. "Odette Omina?"

"How do you know my name?" I ask, taken aback. "Shinigami eyes," Sidoh says simply. "Let's you see other people's names and life spans. You could have them too, but you'd have to give up half your lifespan to do it."

"Half my life," I say ponderously, tapping my cheek with my fingertip, considering the meaning of such an exchange. "Kind of a crappy deal. What if you only had a week left to live? You'd only be able to live, what, three more days just to end up in limbo after you die?"

"Figured you wouldn't go for it." Sidoh says, ruffling its weird cape draped over his round shoulders. "Most humans are too afraid to give up half their life just to shorten others. Makes sense…"

We sit in silence for a moment, while I think about what to do.

"Sidoh, you never answered my question." I say looking up once more and Sidoh gives a curious, "Oh?"

"Yeah," I reply, looking dead in Sidoh's strange, otherworldly eyes. "Why did you drop the Death Note?"

"Oh that's simple," Sidoh says dismissively. "I was tired of the Shinigami world. I wanted to check out the human one for a change."

"You mean…you gave this _thing_ to me because you were…bored?" I ask in utter disbelief.

"Not to you _specifically_," Sidoh reasons with an awkward shrug. "I just waited for the first human to pick it up and see what happens."

"And if I don't use the book?" I press, but just as I say this, I hear voices coming down the hall.

"Your friends are back." Sidoh points out helpfully.

"Hide!" I hiss but he just stands motionless before me and I slap my forehead, "Right! Forgot."

" '_No one can see him but me, which means…' "_

I dive forward, making Sidoh stagger back and snatch the book off the floor sliding it under my bed where it hits the wall with a dull _thud_, just before the door swings open and I freeze, still hunched on the floor as the girls walk in.

They don't seem to notice anything unusual at all. In fact, Barbie walks right through Sidoh's body, like he's a phantom, and the other's carry on their conversation, not even noticing my odd look as I straighten up into a kneeling position. That is until Sam realizes I'm there and says,

"Hey, Odette! How'd it go with_ Stan-the-man_?" She asks in an airy, princessy voice. "Did you-Hey, are you okay? You look kinda sick…"

"Do I?" I ask, glancing at Sidoh, who watches from the corner silently.

"Sooo…" Tailor says, trotting over to pull me onto the floor in a circle with the rest of them. "How did it go? What's the sitch? Did you guys, you know, kiss?"

"I-Er, no." I say, somewhat uncomfortably, trying not to look at Sidoh. "He just left."

"Bummer!"

"What a jerk!"

"You don't need him anyways-"

"It's fine really," I say, not the least bit concerned about my relationship (if you could call it that) with Stan at the moment. "I should go to bed-" I pause, catching my breath when I realize Sidoh has disappeared as quickly as he'd come.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Samantha asks, sounding like her old self for a moment. I look at her, uncertain of what to say.

I'd love nothing more than to confide in her…But, I know I can't. Especially since I'm not even sure if what I saw was real, or all in my imagination.

* * *

**So? Is she crazy? Or is she...Not? Find out soon! Thanks for reading and feel free to Review! It helps!**

**~THE SCRIBE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Words=Mine. OC's=ALSO Mine. Death Note=Not Mine ;_; Thanks. Enjoy! ;D**

Chapter 3: Gods of Death Love Mochas

I wake up too early and nearly have a heart attack when I sit up with a yelp and find Sidoh going through Samantha's underwear drawer at the opposite end of the room. He gives a _"N-Yaahh!"_ in surprise, dropping Sam's underwear and I look sharply at her to see if she's heard, but she is a heavy sleeper (I just now realize) and she just rolls over in bed and resumes snoring.

_"What are you doing in here?"_ I whisper savagely, pulling up the covers around my bra-less torso.

"Exploring." Sidoh replies, holding a thong level with his eyes with a soft, "Oooh…"

"Put. That. Back!" I hiss, moving to find some kind of shawl to put on. "God, why are you still here?" I moan softly, finding a thin shawl to wear over my tank top and slipping into some boots. The weather has subsided; the air has warmed slightly, leaving only a slight breeze.

"I told you, I'm here to stay. The sooner you accept that the better off you are…" Sidoh reasons and I roll my eyes and head out the door to the lounge room where the halls of the dorms intersect.

I sit down in one of the fluffy cushions and Sidoh awkwardly sits down nearby.

"Alright, so since you're back, it's obvious I didn't dream up what happened last night." I say slowly, pulling up my knees to my chest. It's still pretty cold and I'm only wearing pajama shorts made from thin material for bottoms.

"Yep," Sidoh says in confirmation.

"So that either means I've gone nuts, or this is for real."

"Right."

"Prove it." I say softly and Sidoh looks at me but I can't tell his expression. It always seems to be stuck in the same expression, which could hardly be any one expression at all…

Sidoh bids me back to my room where Sam still lies in bed and Sidoh reaches _through_ my mattress, plucking the notebook from beneath the bed where I left it, and moves to bring the Death Note over to her as though he were about to-

I bar his path.

"No!" I whisper venomously, throwing out my arms. "There's got to be another way!" I say, fearing what would happen should she actually see Sidoh.

"Fine." Sidoh sighs and looks around while I hold onto the book.

Sidoh then goes to the computer table, picks up one of my Harry Potter books, weighs it in his hands…

And then chucks it at the wall where it hits the plaster with a deafening BANG, breaking the early-morning quiet silence. I give another yelp and Sam jolts awake with a similar cry to my own, looking around frantically, her hair disheveled.

"Whatappened?" She slurs and I think fast for an explanation.

"I-da…Er…Sleep walking! I was-sleep walking…I think. Sorry!" I say stupidly, still holding the Death Note with its cover hidden in my shirt. I grab my car keys, saying as I head out the door, "I'm going to get some Starbucks, want some?"

"Uh…Yeah, sure…" Sam mumbles, already falling back to sleep.

Once in my car, I round on Sidoh, who manages to squeeze into the seat next to me. "Are you nuts?!" I shout accusingly, yet I'm smiling. I rest my head on the steering wheel, giggling under my breath.

_" 'I'm not crazy.' "_ I think to myself. _" 'I'm** not** crazy after all!' "_

I order three mochas, one for myself, Sam, and Sidoh because, why not? And I ask for a chocolate bar on Sidoh's request as well. He seems to really like chocolate…

"Listen," I begin, parking in the campus parking lot for a moment while Sidoh attempts to slurp his coffee mocha chino through his jagged teeth. "I don't want to be a pest or anything…but I just-" I sigh in confusion. "This is all so sudden. Do you think you could maybe explain some of the Death Note to me?"

Sidoh, having popped the top off the cup of his mocha in frustration, throws back his hot coffee in one gulp and looks at me, his circular mouth gaping even more than usual. "That's really good." He says bluntly and I wave it off.

"Yeah, but please, I really need to-"

"I mean that's really, really good. Almost better than chocolate." Sidoh says seriously, still staring at me and I frown uncomfortably.

"I'm glad you like it, but we really need to-"

A knock at my window startles me and I look up to see a police officer at my window. I roll it down.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"Morning, miss." The officer says curtly, observing me under his hat. "Feeling alright this morning?"

"Yes," I say nervously, wondering if he'd seen Sidoh drink the coffee. I resist the urge to glance at Sidoh when he makes an odd sound and force a smile. "Long night."

"I don't doubt it." The officer says flatly. "License and registration please."

"Of course," I say, my smile faltering and go to get my papers when I notice Sidoh has disappeared again. _" 'Where'd he go?' " I_ wonder.

I sit up with my papers and offer them.

"I'll be right back." The officer says and leaves to his car a ways off. I take the chance to glance around for Sidoh, but there's no sign of him. I begin to doubt my sanity again…

"Here you are," The officer hands back my papers a moment later. "Ma'am, have you had any alcoholic beverages this morning?"

"What? No!" I reply quickly, a little too quickly.

"M-hm," He says, unconvinced and he bids me step out of the car in my thin jacket, short-shorts, and boots, in the freezing cold.

The officer then subjects me to a sobriety test and I'm almost clear when something makes me catch my breath and a jolt of paralyzing electricity surges through me.

It's Sidoh, swinging from a street light, causing the structure to creak and groan as he uses his wings to give him altitude, looking more like a giant bee than anything…

_" 'Wait a minute…Wings? Didn't notice those before!' " _I think to myself. My jaw drops as Sidoh lets out a drawn out "Whooo" and does some kind of strange gymnastic leap in mid air and grabs onto the metal light again (_Insert silly Sidoh Theme music here),_ causing it to groan loudly with a _"Wheeee". " 'Sidoh, what are you** doing**?' "_

Then, the light itself goes on the fritz and becomes stuck on red.

The police officer notices too only he doesn't see the Shimigani hanging from the light.

He curses under his breath and tells me I can go, leaving to call in the malfunction on his police-radio. I quickly get into my car as Sidoh takes off towards the park and watch as he flies, spiraling in the air before crash-landing into a nearby tree.

I drive to the area he'd fallen in and spot Sidoh closely observing a family of ducks swimming by in the lake.

"What is wrong with you?" I ask, coming to stand a few feet away.

"They say the human world is-**hic**-boring." Sidoh says bluntly. "Called me crazy-**hic**-for coming. It's actually kind of-**hic**-nice here."

_" 'Weird,' "_ I think to myself. " _'He's acting almost like he's…drunk.' "_

"Hm…" I murmur thoughtfully. _" 'Maybe I could use this to my advantage.' "_

"So let me get this straight," I say ponderously, tapping my lip with my nail, as I take notes on a composition notebook I used to write in as a Journal. I never really took writing down my thoughts seriously, though, and I stopped using it almost immediately after writing the introduction of my first entry.

"You write someone's name in this book and they die of a heart attack unless you want them to die of something else. As for Shinigami and humans…Er…The human who touches the Death Note can see their Shinigami and the human who uses the Death Note goes to…What did you call it? MU? Nothingness after death—Freaky. Shinigami have no loyalties to humans and can increase their lifespan by writing human's names in their own Death Note. Humans, however, can't. Am I right? Okay, now this is interesting—Would you stop that?!"

Sidoh turns his dome-head to look at me, saying indignantly, "What?" Ever since we arrived at the dorm, discovering a note from Sam claiming she'd be gone for a few hours (doing God knows what), I've been grilling Sidoh for clear information about the Death Note, taking down notes for things I find important.

Unfortunately, due to the buzz the coffee seemed to have on him, Sidoh's behavior has been…Erratic (Pacing incessantly about the room, occasionally beating his odd wings, and bustling about, nearly upsetting my work-area by the computer). He nearly knocked a snow globe over onto my laptop after restlessly extending his wings once more. I guess it didn't help that I'd given him the second one AFTER that little stunt he pulled at the stop light.

Driving back here was a menace...

"You know, I think you've pretty much got this covered, Odette." Sidoh informs me, settling his wings neatly behind his back. "That…mocha…It was really good."

"So you've said." I say and then sigh, closing the composition notebook, closing my eyes to think for a moment, tapping my finger against the hard cover. "I guess you're right, though. I don't see what else I could learn from this thing. I don't intend on using it so you can just drop it."

"Never said you had to," Sidoh replies, pacing again. "Just figured if you had it long enough you might—"

Just then, an email appears on my laptop screen which I had left open playing some music (mainly R&B) so that if someone walked by they wouldn't just be hearing me talking to myself.

I go over to check it, Sidoh shadowing me and read the tab.

I gasp, finger frozen over the mouse, my heart feels like it might stop.

"This is it." I whisper.

"What?" Sidoh asks, curious as to why I'm reacting so.

I muster the courage to open the email and my eyes dart over it rapidly.

A wide grin stretches over my face.

"Oh!" I exlaim, my eyes watering. "Oh my—I **made** it Sidoh! I just got accepted into Buckingham University in England on a full-ride scholarship!" I let out a girly squeal in joy, practically bouncing up and down.

"Oh…What's that mean?" Sidoh asks.

"It means I'm going to England to go to school, _for free!_ My life is **finally** picking up!" I exclaim, reaching out to clutch Sidoh's arm and I briefly make contact before my hand slips through and I almost topple off balance.

"Oh, sorry!" I say distractedly. "Got a little carried away!" I add with a gleeful giggle. I'm so happy. _" 'If only I had someone to share this with.' "_

"Why not your parents?" Sidoh asks.

"Huh?" I say automatically, fearing for a moment that Sidoh can read minds when I realize I had said that last bit out loud without realizing it. "Oh, uh, my parents…Well, they're dead. I never really knew them but—" My voice trails off as my gaze becomes unfocused as the blur of a stained-glass window, and the sound of my own rhythmic tapping on the mouse seems to ring in my ears like the toll of a bell…

"If you think this means I'm letting you off the hook, you've got another thing coming." Sidoh brings me out of my daze and I blink, allowing a forced smile reel me back into the great news I've just learned.

"That's alright," I say with a small smile. A real one. "I could use the company."

* * *

Well, it only took a few weeks, but I'm finally settled in to my new dorm in Winchester, England at Buckingham Univeristy.

_" 'Man it feels good to say that!' "_

I have to admit though, I feel somewhat cut off from when I was in California. I know it's silly, but I kind of miss my "Friends". Stan more than anything, though I must admit, it really wasn't going anywhere with him anyways.

I felt the most sad, however, when I had to say goodbye to Sam at the end of the term.

She really had been a good friend for a while and I could tell she regretted her betrayal of me in exchange for her new friends…But that's in the past now. I can make new friends, or heck, I could just focus on my studies and enjoy myself while I'm here!

I have to say though, I'm a little nervous about being back in England.

It's true, I used to live here once upon a time, at a darker time of my past. Maybe that's why I wanted to come back. Maybe I'll revisit the Orphanage while I'm here.

_" 'Who am I kidding? That's the reason why I chose England. Why I submitted all those applications and scholarship essays. To bring some closure to my past. The past I ran away from, and have been drawn back to all my life. To speak to the man who had been there for me all those years ago—who I left without so much as an explanation. I have to go back. Back to Wammy's House.' "_

* * *

Oh Snap! What a twist! Was Odette Omina really a child from the Orphanage and one of L's successors? Will she find the man she's looking for? Find out next time! And please send me your reviews with your favorite characters so far (so I know who to scrap and who I might bring back...) Thanks for reading!

~THE SCRIBE!


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEATH NOTE. I do, however, own my words as well as my OC's ^.^ Thank You and Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Familiar Faces

"So, what's our first move, Odette?" Sidoh asks, hovering in the air a few paces behind me as we walk about my new campus, and I stiffen and glance around before pulling out a small note pad and hurriedly scribbling on it with a pen. It reads:

**"As I said, I want to visit the Orphanage I grew up in, but I can't do that just yet."**

"Ugh, you want me to_ read_?" Sidoh says, peering over my shoulder as I hold up the notepad for him to see, as though I'm surveying it closely. "Can't you just talk quietly, or something?"

I shake my head, crossing off my sentence like I didn't like what I wrote and begin writing again: **"No. Too suspicious. This will do for now."**

"Fine." Sidoh grumbles in his perpetually whiney voice and then asks, "So, if we're going to the Orphanage, then why are we still_ here_?"

I pause at a building, checking my schedule to make sure it's the right one for my new Psychology class, and write: **"Not ready."**

"Why not? Not _scared_ are you?" Sidoh teases and I turn sharply to look at him, then realize I made a mistake when some kid looks at me funny and I realized I may have glared at her instead of Sidoh. I turn back to my notepad and am about to write when instead I take out my cell phone.

I flip it open, pretend to punch in a few numbers, and raise it to my ear.

After a few moments I begin to speak.

"Yeah, it's me…No, I'm _not_ scared, it's just that…Well, I can't just _waltz_ in the Orphanage demanding to see _him_. At least I don't think I can..."

"What is the deal with that place?" Sidoh asks, moving to hover alongside me as we head off to the next building. "You make it sound like a prison."

"It might as well have been." I answer into my phone softly, staring ahead as I recall and relay my thoughts and memories to Sidoh through my phone:

*** "' _We were all very young when we were brought in to the Orphanage. There weren't a lot of older kids at the time I was brought in. By that time, the Detective known as L had just moved on to his later fame. I'm guessing he was only a few years my senior, but in any case, all anyone at the Orphanage could talk about was him.'"_

_"'I never hated L. In fact, I wanted to be more like him. We all did. We all tried. We never had a choice in that matter. If you showed any kind of specific talent (art, deduction, mathematics, **anything**) you would be put through tedious training. They expected the most from you, working your weaknesses hard and your strengths even harder._

_For some, it became an obsession. For others, a curse. And for one, his undoing. **A**, my closest friend, and closest thing to a brother I had…ended his life one day at the Orphanage. He couldn't take it anymore. And a few years later, neither could I. I ran away, along with a few others. Many, I haven't seen since. It's a miracle I survived.'"***_

"How _did_ you survive?" Sidoh asks, curiously as we stop to rest underneath a lovely tree in the shade, staring open-mouthed at me. There's hardly anyone around so I'm safe to pocket my phone for the moment.

"I'm not sure." I answer honestly, recalling a time in which I lived on the streets. "Where ever I went, no matter if I was starving or not, I would receive money from seemingly no one. There was never a name on the envelope, but it was always there when I needed it and it was always addressed to me by my code name, O."

I draw my knees up to my chest and fold my arms over them, resting my chin upon my forearms, remembering. "I should have died. I know it was **him**. Who else would have done it? When I think of all the times I should have been sleeping in a dumpster, yet slept comfortably in a hotel, my taxes taken care of, my school taken care of, everything…taken care of…"

I squeeze my eyes shut, my fists clenching in sudden anger. "_I hate him_. Whoever he is _really-I_ hate him."

"Who?" Sidoh asks in surprise. "Surely not the same one who saved your life?"

"…I don't know," I admit with a sigh, leaning back against the trunk of the tree tiredly. "I owe my life to the one who saved me...But at the same time, I'm angry. Angry that I've never been able to make my own decisions in life. _Not once!_ My parent's death, being forced into the shadow of someone I'd never even met. Someone I could never live up to. Even after I left, I was _still_ being haunted. Still being _controlled_."

We lapse into silence. I'm not really expecting Sidoh to respond, so when he does, I'm taken by surprise, "And you're still going to go find this person, aren't you?"

"…Yes. In fact," I say, rising from the ground with a mischievous smile. "What do you say we go have a look?"

"Ohhh.."

* * *

When we arrive at Wammy's House, it appears to be relatively…Normal. Just as I remember. On the outside, it looks to be a warm, welcoming home for the lost and hopeless. And when I first began living there…it was.

And so much more.

But soon after, things began to change. My talents for memorization and retention of knowledge, as well as hand-eye coordination did not go unnoticed…But things were never so cut off as they soon became a few years after L grew in popularity as well as in the public opinion. The friends I'd made were cut off from me and I from them, and I was alone for the longest time.

Until I met "subjects" A and B.

They were the closest to my age in our group of "Gifted Students", as most were younger or simply preferred to hang-out with the younger children-though I never understood why. A was one of the closest friends I have ever known. Strong-willed, artistic, a deep thinker.

He never subjected himself to a code name, however, like the rest of us.

He refused to be called by it and I, honoring my word from all those years ago, shall never repeat it. He did me the honor of never speaking _my_ code name either.

My name was Oracle.

Since the day that A died, I have renounced the name completely.

I'm not sure what it was exactly that made him…do it. Kill himself I mean. I could never understand _why_. I knew the stress of living at Wammy's had grown nearly unbearable—In fact, there were times when A would talk about death.

We would sit in the garden area behind the house, the one reserved for kids like ourselves, and we would talk as the bells tolled in the nearby chapel. The bells used to drive me nuts, but he seemed to be stimulated by it.

He would say strange things about how peaceful it would be—

_***"To hear the bells always," He had told me, leaning back against our cherry blossom tree with his legs rebelliously strung out before him. I adjusted uncomfortably, tucking my legs beneath me tighter, drawing my knees close, as I am constantly reminded to do. _

_"You really shouldn't do that," I inform him nervously, watching his legs. "It reduces you deduction skills—"_

_"By roughly 40%, I know already!" He would recite dully, absently tapping his temple with a finger. He never really rose his voice to anyone, **not really**. "You know, Jason's gotten into the habit of standing whenever he gets the chance. He hates sitting like that more than I do!"_

_"That's not his name! You just made that up! He's called J—"_

_"Odette, you're gonna get chaffed straddling the fence like that," A warned playfully, stretching out even more and I straightened out indignantly. "What's **that** supposed to mean?!"_

_"One day you're agreeing with me, saying we should be able to decide our own lives, and the next, you're on their side!" _

_"I'm not on __**anyone's**__ side!" I objected, and then regretted it immediately when he abruptly ceased his tapping. "I mean—"_

_"No, no," A said dejectedly, deep lines under his eyes becoming more predominant. "I understand. It's not your fault. It's just how they program us. We want to believe this life is what's best, but we don't know any better. People aren't meant to live this way. We **can't** live this way."_

_A suddenly stands, his eyes shaded by his blonde hair. "I won't live this way any longer."_

_"A—" I called to him softly before he left, but I didn't know what to say. The bell tolled once more and he walked back down the hill side into the light of the sunset…And never returned.***_

The very next day, early in the morning, A committed suicide. I was there for his final moments. I don't know what he was thinking when he saw me, crying over him, begging him to live. But just before his eyes closed—he smiled. I hope deep within my heart that he was truly happy when the end came.

That moment was the turning point in many of the lives of the successors at Wammy's House. A was the first successor, destined to surpass L and yet, he was the first to crack completely under the pressure.

B and I took our leave not long after.

But that's a story for another time, I suppose.

I stare at the mansion-like building with a sick feeling in my stomach and an ache both in my head and deep within my heart. Then much to my surprise, the gates open.

I almost feel tempted to walk through when I hear the sound of a motor coming down the road. "Uh-oh! You're busted now!" Sidoh says excitedly as I hurry to conceal myself behind the brush nearby.

The car drives in through the gates and I watch it closely until the gates close once more.

"Tonight, Sidoh," I tell the Shinigami. "Tonight, will certainly be most…interesting."

* * *

I move to the wall on the far side of the manor and I survey the wall, pulling a pair of gloves on.

"Going incognito huh? You really are a successor of the famous Detective aren't you?" Sidoh croons behind me and I turn to him putting up a finger to hush him. "No one can hear me remember?" Sidoh reminds me and I close my eyes in frustration realizing he's right.

**"Let me know if someone's coming."** I write in my notepad which proves difficult in the darkness of the night, showing it to Sidoh who leans forward to look at it and says, "Sure but, why are you writing again? No one's here—"

**"Still can't risk it."** I write back, then pocket the notepad and pen and turn to the tree closest to me. I scale the tree fairly easily, sitting myself in a branch closest to the wall.

I hesitate, staring at the mansion wistfully. A single light remains on within the manor.

"He's there." I dare to whisper numbly.

"Hm?" Sidoh asks, peering forward as he flies beside me. "How can you tell?"

"I just…Can." I say, frozen in my spot.

"Not having second thoughts, are we?" Sidoh asks, clearly becoming impatient. "I—Well—" I begin but the truth is, I **am** having second thoughts. Is it right for me to barge in here, demanding answers?

Two days ago I was uncertain as well…That is—until I saw a familiar face in the court yard one day in between classes.

It was B.

I know it was. It _had_ to be!

He was almost just as I'd remembered him when we were young only older and somehow** odder** looking than he once had been. Shoulder-length, shaggy hair, dark eyes (now much darker with deep circles under them) and a poor posture unlike any I've ever seen. It was such a shock to see him, so out of place in the world, that I ran head on into another student and knocked most of his text books to the floor with a loud series of bangs.

Many students turned around in curiosity.

Including B.

We caught each other's gaze and stared at one another from across the yard for the longest time, his eyes wide and mine even wider. I moved to go to him, but the student I'd knocked over chastised me for not helping him pick up his books and I glanced down at him for a split second before returning my attention to—

Nothing.

He was gone and I had officially made up my mind about returning to Wammy's House.

Now, I'm once again questioning my actions. But still, I can't have come here for nothing. If I don't go, if I don't see him, and find closure I will never be able to move on with my life. I'll be stuck at Wammy's for the rest of my days and I will surely go mad.

I grab the bungee cord and clip it around the trunk of the tree, pulling on it to ensure that it's secure. Then, I loop the other end through a few of my belt-loops, wrapping a hand around the cord before hoisting myself on top of the wall surrounding the Orphanage.

I lower myself until I'm hanging off it, before letting my weight take me the rest of the way down the wall, where I bounce a foot or so off the ground.

I unclip the cord from my waist and venture across the yard.

"How are you going to get in?" Sidoh asks as I plaster myself against the wall. I won't say it aloud, but I know a way to get inside the mansion. A way I haven't used since I left, but still remember. B showed it to me once, when we ditched one of our classes we were forced to take (to better our skills) and wanted to hide.

It is also the same route we used to escape from Wammy's House itself.

I journey to the far side of the house, near the back where I find a small ladder (or rather several staple-like bars sticking out of the wall) and begin to climb. I must've climbed three to four stories before I reached the flat area of the roof.

There is the grate, just like it I remember, sticking out of the square block in the brick roof. I dig around frantically through some dust and dead leaves where I find a rusty, old screw driver. I smile to myself, remembering how B had snatched it from a plumber once. He always told the story funnier than me.

I carefully unscrew each bolt holding up the grate and remove it. It weights considerably less than it did when I was younger.

I crawl inside the grate and lower myself into the attic. It looks like any other attic, save for an excess of cob webs and dust.

This was the place the three of us would go together.

There wasn't much here. There still isn't now.

A dusty mattress, a writing desk, a broken mirror, a few shelves filled with the children's books and magazines that we were unable to read once the Orphanage was turned into an institution, and a box filled with toys and puzzles.

I move on quickly, the memories of my past at my heels along with Sidoh.

I journey from the attic to the hallway of the top floor and make my way down the corridors.

I come close to my destination when I hear footsteps behind me and realize that they are not mine or Sidoh's. I pause, but don't turn around, my every sense gone rigid.

"I don't suppose you're new around here," An unfamiliar voice says casually with a dangerous tone in it, and I hear Sidoh give a dramatic, "Oh!"

"No," I reply, not turning around. "You're not gonna rat me out _are you_?"

Silence.

"Well, are you…B?"

* * *

I turn around to face him and find myself staring into the eyes of a phantom of a boy, probably between his late teens and early twenties (like myself). The similarities end there, however. He is pale and painfully thin, with a brooding look.

_" 'Does he even recognize me?' " I wonder._

"What are you doing here? I thought you _ran away." _B inquires mockingly, shifting his weight with his hands in the pockets of his wrinkly jeans. I also notice that he is barefoot.

"So you _do_ remember." I respond softly."And I could ask you the same thing, B. If I remember correctly, you and I ran away from this place together."

"That doesn't quite answer why you've returned, O."

"_Don't call me that_!" I snarl, clenching my fists. "You _know_ I hate that! What's the matter with you anyways? I thought…I thought you'd be _glad_ to see me—" My voice fades and I steel my resolve. When we were younger, I always suspected that B was fond of me, and now this...

"I've come to see someone." I continue when he doesn't answer, but surveys me like some kind of psycho-analyst. Like the _trainers _used to. "I've come to speak to Watari!"

"Watari?" B whispers, actually taking his hands out of his pockets with a look of surprise. "Are you certain there's not someone _else_ you came to see?"

"Huh?" I ask, genuinely confused. "No! I only wanted to speak to Watari. To tell him why I left. To thank him for the letters—" B takes a sharp breath. "And to plead that he end this farce once and for all!"

I turn around to leave only to be held back by a thin white hand, long fingers closing around my wrist. "I can't let you do that, Oracle. Not until I've determined—**Whaaa!**—"

Using my skills as a wrestler, I turn B's incredibly light weight against him and propel him over my shoulder, still grasping his arm in a painful twist as he groans on the floor. "B, what has gotten into you?" I whisper venomously. "How could you regard me so—so cruelly? You _know_ me! _You know I hate it when you call me that!_ Has it really been so long that you don't remember? Or is it that you just don't ca—**Oh-ph**!"

Suddenly, my legs are swept from under me and I fall on the floor. I back away and get onto one knee with my fists clenches, while B crouches opposite me, using his hands for balance. "You don't seem to understand." B pants. "Although that's not very hard to believe. After all, you _did_ leave. You said it yourself! What cause do you have to come back and break an old man's heart again?"

"What cause do _you_! You—you—hypocrite!" I cry and we collide, going for the offensive at the same time, knocking over a nearby drawer decorated with an assortment of flowers. We tangle around for a moment, vying for control over one another.

For a moment, I wind up pinned to the floor. "Why, B?" I pant angrily. I have a cut lip and he a black eye, but at the moment I just don't care. I can't believe how bitter and heartless my once friend has become. How could one fall so far from friendship?

"What about A?!" I cry. "What about what he stood for? Why we left? Don't you remember _anything_? We vowed that we would make them see one day that what they're doing is wrong! That they _couldn't_ change us! That they couldn't turn us into puppet of their design!"

"Puppets?" B repeats, looking dumbstruck, and I can see a sweat breaking out on his forehead before shouting angrily, "Was it really so bad here? Was it worth it to leave? Was it better living on the streets?"

"You bastard!" I cry out, managing to turn the fight around in my favor so that this time it's B who's pinned. I grip him by the front of the shirt, on the verge of tears as I pull back a fist, ready to land a punch right on his cheek.

I hesitate a moment, as he glowers at me, before saying quietly, "I don't even know you anymore. If you can't see how this place has messed you up, messed all of our lives up, then you're no better than the people who put us here."

I lower my fist and rise from the ground, my eyes narrowed with malice and my lip curled with disgust. "I've had enough. I'll be going now." I say haughtily, turning around to leave.

"Did you not wish to see me, Odette?" A friendly, welcoming voice says a ways down the hall.

Both B and I crane our necks to look over our shoulders at a sweet-looking old man with a kind smile and I turn around rapidly, suddenly overcome with emotion.

I wasn't sure what I would do when I found Watari, but what I do next is not what **anyone** expected.

I vault over B, tears streaming from my eyes and nearly knock Watari over as I embrace him, burying my face into his suit, staining his jacket with my tears. Truth be told, Watari really _**was**_ the closest thing to a father figure in my life. A grandfather. A mentor. A friend.

"Watari!" I sob. "I'm _so_ sorry! I was afraid! I—Couldn't take it anymore! After A died-I _had_ to leave!"

"I understand, Odette." Watari consoles me, patting my hair and pulling back a bit to look kindly into my tear stained face. "I never _wanted_ you to leave, but I couldn't be happier to see you are well!"

I stare at Watari, eyes filled with tears and a burning feeling in my heart.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm home.

Watari suddenly looks past me, noticing B for the first time no doubt and smiles warmly, gesturing to him. "Ah, I see you two have met!"

"Of course we've met, Watari." I say, wiping my eyes without facing B. "We **used to be** best friends."

"Really? I wasn't aware you and the World's Greatest Detective have ever met." Watari smiles cheekily.

"What?" I whisper, looking up at Watari sharply.

"Odette, I'd like you to meet L," He says, gesturing to the boy behind me and I turn to gape at him shamelessly. "L, this is Odette."

* * *

**Thanks for Reading! Don't forget to Review! And stay Tuned! Sorry it was so long! ^.^**

**~THE SCRIBE!**


End file.
